Web of Lies
by Teressa
Summary: Ginny Weasley, desperate to avenge the death of her family, will have to work with an enemy to achieve her goal. But amidst passion, betrayal, and revenge, there's a fragile web of lies that threatens existence. Prologue & ch 1 now up.
1. Prologue

A/N: Eei! My brand-new series! Er…my first series! Quick plot note: this is set A/H, in the year 2002. The prologue, however, is set in 2001. The war with Voldemort is over, but there are new terrors striking the wizarding world! Enjoy. ;)  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything Harry Potter related except for bits of this plot. Most of the ideas from my plot I based on the manga Hunter X Hunter, so I don't really own that either. Haha.  
  
Web of Lies:  
  
Prologue  
  
"I fear, too early: for my mind misgives  
  
Some consequence yet hanging in the stars  
  
Shall bitterly begin his fearful date  
  
With this night's revels and expire the term  
  
Of a despised life closed in my breast  
  
By some vile forfeit of untimely death.  
  
But He, that hath the steerage of my course,  
  
Direct my sail! On, lusty gentlemen." –Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare  
  
  
  
They were running late, as always. The tall, gangly redheaded man who was leaning against a wooden doorpost shouted up the stairs to his wife. "Darling, we're late! And you know how impatient Mum can get, especially when it's a big family gathering like this…" A murmured "mmm-hmm" was the response.  
  
Finally, five minutes later (although it seemed like an eternity to the man waiting), the wife came flying down the stairs, a flash of colors and carrying the bundle which was their thirteen-month-old child. "I didn't even have enough time to magic my hair straight," the wife complained, patting her dark mass of curls.  
  
"You look beautiful as always," the husband said, kissing his wife softly on the lips before looking down and laughing at the child pressed between them. "As do you, little one!" The man tickled his child affectionately before his wife suddenly spoke up.  
  
"Oh blast it all! I forgot to pick up the refill of her formula; I just got an owl from Odgen's Pharmacy this morning. She's going to be bloody cranky all afternoon if I don't go pick it up. Listen, why don't you head over to your parents' while Hannah and I pop over quickly to Diagon Alley and grab her formula. Tell your mother I'm dreadfully sorry that I'm extra delayed, and oh! That I'll pick up some wine for dinner."  
  
The husband looked disgruntled, but obeyed his wife in any case. She had him tied around her finger. "Fine, fine." One last sweet kiss, and then the husband Apparated away.  
  
"Well, snookie, let's floo on over and get you your din-din!" The woman cooed at her dark-eyed child, who giggled, spat, and cooed back while grabbing her mother's finger. The woman laughed and hugged her child, throwing some Floo Powder in to the fire. "Odgen's Pharmacy!"  
  
***  
  
The woman appeared, exactly 2.4 seconds later, in the fireplace of Odgen's Pharmacy. Muttering (it sounded something curiously like, "Damned Floo Network. Think they could possibly make the transports something any dirtier?"), she shook the soot off of herself and her child and looked around the dark Odgen's Pharmacy.  
  
Rows and rows of wizard medications were lined up, including of course, the pharmacy counter. Exactly where the woman was headed. Handing her purchase slip to the owl-eyed pharmacist, she said, "I'm here to pick up baby formula." The man looked over the slip, nodded twice, looked back at the woman, nodded, handed her a stock of formula, and said, "Please pay at the register."  
  
True to her word, the woman picked up a bottle of Elderflower Wine on her way to the register (a particular favorite of her mother-in-law's), as well as a bottle of the famous Odgen's Old Firewhisky, a special treat for her father-in-law. Humming as she paid the hunched over woman, the woman felt that she couldn't be happier in the world. That's when the feeling hit her.  
  
It was instant panic. She hadn't felt anything like it ever before. Just a tugging at her heart, a note that felt a bit off in the melody of her life. The woman knew something was very wrong. Her eyes large and her pulse racing, the woman grabbed her bag and adjusted her daughter on her waist in one swift, fluid movement. She closed her eyes and was about to Apparate (for the longing to get to her parent-in-laws' left her no time to floo) when she suddenly felt if she didn't want to go at all. She was much safer here in the pharmacy, in fact. Her mind set on those who were dearest to her though, the woman Apparated, clinging closely to her child and appeared on the scene of the crime.  
  
In front of her was nothing where a house should have been. Where her family should have been. The woman's panic was taking her over, a fitful demon. "What the hell?" she whispered, fearing the worst. And then everything she saw fit together: the blankness of it all, a few little ashes clinging sorely to grass, the taunting little breeze that stuck to her, and most of all, the fourteen (in exact) spiders crawling all over the ashes.  
  
The woman fell to the grass, clutching her child to her, sobbing hysterically and screaming and cursing and fuck why did this have to happen to her when she was finally getting used to her life finally getting happy. She was bawling as she looked up in to the clear sky and cursed everything that existed.  
  
The Phantom Brigade had struck again, and had hit their hardest target. 


	2. Recuperating

A/N: Well, I've finally got chapter one up. If the prologue seemed a bit sloppy, it's because I was in a rush to get my first story up. :D Well, here's the long awaited (*cough*) first chapter. None of this belongs to me, I've sold my soul to JK Rowling and Togashi Yoshihiro (the mangaka of "Hunter X Hunter", which as stated in the prologue, I've taken a lot of plot ideas from.) Anyway, enough of me blathering…I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Web of Lies

Chapter One: Recuperating

"Ob-la-di, Ob-la-da life goes on bra, 

La-la how the life goes on." –The Beatles

Virginia Weasley's one big regret in life was that she had been out of town when the Phantom Brigade had struck her house and taken away almost everything which was most precious to her. On that clear summer eve when her family was attacked, Ginny and her boyfriend of three years, Harry Potter, had been vacationing in Italy. The irony in the whole situation was that in a flash of premonition (a curse Ginny was gifted enough to have on the odd occasions), Ginny had the Burrow and her family's lives WizInsured exactly two months earlier. That meant, of course, that when Harry and Ginny returned from Italy at the emergency owl, they were millions of Galleons wealthier but at the same time had lost the most priceless things they had.

Ginny rolled over in the bed she was lying in, lumpy beneath her. She sighed and rubbed her eyes, pushing her copper hair out of her face and glaring at the beeping alarm clock, with its flashing luminescent numbers. It was nine o'clock in the morning, and Ginny had wasted another sleepless night. Groaning, she turned the alarm off, and flipped her legs over the bedside, quickly stretching before getting up and padding into the kitchen, where Harry Potter sat brewing over a cup of coffee.

She padded up to him and planted a kiss on his unshaven cheek, the bristles tingling her lips. He turned around in her arms, and that's when she noticed his brilliant green eyes were clouded with unshed tears.

"Ginny," his voice sounded hoarse. "We can't keep living our lives like this. It's been ten months since the accident–" (here Ginny scoffed…what had happened to her family had been no "accident", it was an outburst of malicious hate), "and still neither you nor I can get a decent night's sleep. We're stuck in a moment, Gin." He nuzzled his face into her neck, and she held him close, both sadly contemplating their lives. "I've been offered my job back as the Cannon's coach, and I'm taking it. We need to move on, as much as it hurts. Hermione can't live off of the insurance money forever, and she's in too fragile a state to go back to work. You and I need to be strong for her. You know we do."

At the mentioning of her widowed sister-in-law, Ginny felt a pang in her stomach and knew it was true. Hermione was now a single mother who had lost the love of her life and was too distraught to think about anything except raising Hannah properly. She spent every waking moment with her child, cooing and playing and holding her. Harry was right; Hermione needed people to be strong for her. She had known it ever since that fateful day ten months ago, but she didn't have the willpower to be strong when she wanted someone to be strong for _her._

"You should start writing again, Harry started. "I'm sure Witch Weekly would be glad to have their star reporter back–"

Ginny looked up, tears streaming down her face and her eyes unbelievably tired. Harry couldn't believe what a mess his strong, vivacious girlfriend had become. "I'll think about it, Harry." Her voice sounded as tired as she looked. "Really, I will."

Harry's heart reached out for the beautiful woman he loved at the same time his hand reached out to stroke her cheek. "There's my girl." He stood up and poured her a hot cup of coffee, mixing in cream and sugar, just the way Ginny liked, and handed her the glass. She thanked him with a smile, taking a slow sip of the steaming liquid. Harry looked down at the watch on his wrist, which was pointing to "almost late." He cursed under his breath, and gave Ginny another kiss on the cheek.

"I have to go get ready for my first day back at work, but I'll see you when I get home?" A reassuring nod was all Harry needed before he ran off to the bathroom. Ginny, relieved of his presence, sighed and sunk in to her chair, her shoulders hunching over the cup clutched between her long fingers.

Ginny knew that Harry knew she couldn't go back to work. She had lost all her verve for writing and was happy lying around the house the whole day, moping. Pulling her long hair back in to a messy bun, she contemplated what she'd do today. She had a new book she wanted to read (A Witch's Guide to Wonderful Art, by Maeve Creon), and she wanted to take a walk, and the garden needed a little tiding up as well…

Lost in her thoughts, Ginny didn't see the owl that flew in through the window until it started tapping impatiently at her hand. Ah, the Daily Prophet had arrived. Ginny paid the irritable bird, and settled down to her favorite periodical, relaxing in to the smell of freshly spelled paper. She always started with the middle, because it was her opinion that the middle was always the best. Opening the paper, Ginny began to read.

****

At the same time that Virginia Weasley had started reading her issue of the Daily Prophet in her cozy London flat, another person was doing the exact same many miles away. His name was Draco Aquilus Malfoy.

Draco Malfoy was an easily irritated person with a short temper and enough money to compensate for that fact. Considered one of the wizarding world's most eligible bachelors, with his dashing good looks and the fact that he always seemed to be single (although, oddly enough, his bed was never lonely), he was also highly dangerous. Suspected of being involved with Death Eaters when they were still around (although never proven of that fact) and constantly seen hobnobbing in Knockturn Alley bars, it was no surprise that, despite his singles eligibility, women (as well as children, small dogs, and quite frequently men) stayed as far away from him as possible.

Right now he could be found lounging in an expensive-looking chair, in an expensively furnished room, in a definitely expensive house dubbed Malfoy Manor, in a hidden away wizarding village (if it could be called that; it was almost smaller than a village) a bit south of Bristol. And right now he could be found contentedly leaning back in to that aforementioned expensive-looking chair and opening the Daily Prophet, which also happened to be _his favorite periodical._

He promptly opened up to the dead center; everyone knew that the Daily Prophet kept their juiciest and most interesting articles in the middle of the paper. Draco crossed his long legs over the footstool and brushed a stray lock of white-blonde hair out of his eyes before settling in to read. Moments later, his eyes were found opening in surprise, a malicious smile starting on his face. He skimmed the article once more just to make sure the information was correct and then leapt out of his chair, the newspaper lying strewn and forgotten.

Draco walked quickly over to the large wooden desk that was situated under a slight window in the stone wall of his study, the one place in this room where he could get true sunlight. Sitting down at the desk's chair, he pulled out a crisp piece of beige paper and a quill, which he dabbed in ink before starting his brief but to-the-point letter. Then he dusted it with powder, a custom of his to make sure the ink didn't smear (Draco, with his fiery temper, was a complete perfectionist), folded the letter, and tied a green ribbon around it before sending it off with his eagle.

Smirking, he leaned back in the desk chair, his legs situating comfortably atop the desk. Jezebel would have to delay the meeting a couple months. He was going to become an Auror.

****

When Ginny first read the article, she couldn't believe her eyes. For the first time in over 20 years, there was going to be an open-invitation Auror examination. Usually, the Committee of Aurors sent out letters to the few most promising graduates of Hogwarts or English students that attended schools in different countries, asking them only to try out for the amazing and parlous job of Auror. 

In fact, the last time that Aurors had been needed in such vast amounts that the COA actually proposed an open-invitation was during the first uprise of Voldemort. There were a lot of Aurors working on the case of the Phantom Brigade up until about nine months ago, when the whole group had suddenly vanished. Since the Aurors were no longer in such demand, a lot of them quit and/or took a vacation. What could the COA possibly know that signaled the fact that a large amount of new Aurors were needed?

_Revenge. It was a beautiful thing, in Ginny's mind. In fact, the day she got word about what had happened to her family, Ginny swore that, even if she had to die for her cause, she would have her revenge on the Phantom Brigade. Yes, revenge was a beautiful and powerful thing, something that couldn't be thought of lightly. That's why she __hadn't really though of what she'd to for revenge in these past ten months. But now she knew._

Ginny's mind started spinning with ideas. There was the mysterious disappearance of the Phantom Brigade. They were phantoms indeed. But…what if they were phantoms that were secretly plotting something disastrous, something unbelievably horrible, something that would make them remembered forever in infamy? _And what if the Aurors knew…_

Yes! That was it! The Aurors had to know that something horrible was going to happen; otherwise they wouldn't have put out an open-invitation for the Auror exam. With a resolute feeling, Ginny made the most snap decision she had ever made (she was usually a calm person who thought things out long and carefully)…she was going to try to become an Auror.

Knowing she would _have to make plans the whole rest of the day, Ginny scuttled off to the shower, filled with renewed hope for the future for the first time in the longest span she could remember._

****

She broke the news to Harry and Hermione (who she had invited over, along with Hannah) at dinner that night. They were aghast, astounded. Ginny would be away for three whole months, and Harry would have to cope without her. He was, of course, livid that she would leave for so long and that he would be alone for the first long span of time in their relationship.

"I know it seems like a horrible length, Harry, and it really is," Ginny said, sighing, "But I have to do this. It just seems right."

"What about us!" Harry's face was a brilliant shade of red. "Don't we seem right? God, Gin, I don't want you to run off and get yourself killed like your brother did!" A hush of silence came over the room, only shattered by Hermione's muffled gasping sob. Harry hung his head, and then looked back up at Ginny, his eyes pleading. "I-I didn't mean that," he whispered. "I just love you so much, and I don't want to lose _another person I love…"_

Ginny placed her hand over his. "I know, Harry. I know, and I love you too. But this is…something I have to do. Something I need to do, to help myself recuperate. And I think that while I'm gone, you and Hermione should move in together."

Hermione looked up quizzically. "But Ginny, I couldn't–"

"You could, and you will," Ginny interrupted. "You need someone to take care of you, Hermione, no matter how much you may deny it. And while I'm gone, Harry's going to need someone to take care of him, too. It's perfect, really. You can move in here, and you and Hannah can stay in the guest bedroom. We have more than enough space in this silly flat as it is. Come on, Herm, do it for me."

Hermione sighed resolutely and gave Ginny a wavering smile. "All right. If you want it that badly."

Ginny smiled and wrapped her arms around her two friends. "I do. Thank you, you guys."

Harry gave Ginny a reassuring hug. "You'll pass, my Ginny. I know you will."

The three sat back down to their dinner, Hannah safely sleeping in a crib set up in the guest bedroom, and all seemed peaceful and right with the world.

****

A long, shockingly pink nail slid across Draco's letter and sliced the ribbon off. It fell gracefully to the floor as the owner of the sharp, long nails unfolded the letter and proceeded to read it. The nails now curled up in to a fist, which pounded angrily against the desk the owner was sitting at. "That fucking _tosser!" A screeching female voice let out a roar, clearly angered by the letter._

"Jezebel, do stop the unnecessary hysterics," a calmer, clearly masculine voice said, "And tell me what the bloody hell you're screaming about."

 The beautiful woman sitting at the desk, now identified as Jezebel, turned and faced the person speaking to her. Her dark eyes were shimmering violently and long lashes framed her glare. Full, dark red lips opened to speak. "It's Draco Malfoy, sir. The arrogant prat is making me put off the meeting for another four months while he goes gallivanting off doing Great Wizards knows what."

"My dear girl, he can't _make you do anything," the Voice said, clearly finding a lot of humor in the situation. Jezebel only sighed and rolled her eyes._

"Clearly he can't _make me do anything, but he's put me in a most awkward position. You, of everyone, know I'm sure that we can't have a decent meeting without the slimeball. He's one of the most prominent members."_

The Voice chuckled. "_Well then, you'll have to put it off on your own accord then, won't you? Do more research while we wait for the meeting. This has to be impeccable."_

Jezebel shuddered at the thought of what he would to do her if it weren't impeccable. "Yes, sir."

"Oh, and Jezebel?"

She looked up expectantly. "Yes?"

"Burn the letter." The Voice needn't have asked, because as he was making the request, Jezebel threw the letter in to the fire. She was on top of the game, as always.

****

The next week was spent by both Ginny and Draco making plans and getting ready for the amazing trip to the Auror exam. Like usual, it was taking place on a hidden, unmapped island off the coast of Scotland. Also like usual, the only way to get there was by a boat setting off from Brighton, except this time you didn't need to be on a special list to get on the boat. On the day that the boat was to take off, Ginny spent a long time saying goodbye to Harry and Hermione, giving them both hugs and giving Harry a long, sensual kiss in which Hermione appropriately looked away.

Then Ginny, her bags packed and tears welling in her eyes, apparated away from her flat and to the dock, which was crowded and noisy. Ginny stared around in amazement; there were hundreds of people here! She groaned, feeling hopeless, and while she was lost in her mind, she proceeded to get knocked to the ground by a stranger, her bags flying every-which-way.

Gathering up her bags and still sitting on the dirty boardwalk, Ginny looked up at the person who knocked her down. He was tall and lean, muscular but not over-built, with good looks and a snide smile that clearly indicated he wasn't going to say sorry. Ginny hated him instantly. She threw a glare at him, and he had the gall to laugh it back in her face.

"Well?" she prompted.

The man scoffed and folded his arms over his chest. "Well what? Aren't you going to say you're sorry, you trashy little thing?"

Ginny was dumbfounded, her mouth hanging open in disgust. "Bastard," she muttered under her breath, standing up on shaky legs and walking away in the complete opposite direction.

Draco Malfoy smiled. He liked making friends (ok, that was a lie), but he liked making enemies even more.

To Be Continued ^.~


End file.
